@blaineg True about the rare humid days - today is one of them here. I’m not complaining though - I’ll take all the rain we can get (yesterday was especially nice, we got rain twice!)
@hchavers@werehatrack I lived in Houston for half a year for work, (luckily not the Summer half). Sure, Houston had been there for a long time. But I learned that in the 1960s-70s the growth of population and big downtowns with skyscrapers was made possible with air conditioning and also helped by the big oil industry growth of the era. Same for Dallas. Other big Southern cities as well like Atlanta. But Houston in particular grew through a combination of air conditioning, oil and to some extent, the space program.
EDIT that was about 30 years ago I was there. Now I’m concerned about their anti-regulatory politics of « power companies can do what they want », « no Gub-mint regulationsl” and « dont want to be part of national grid ».
@hchavers@pmarin That Gridiocy is at the State level, and there’s loads of folks here in Houston who would like to see ERCOT hauled out into the Gulf and converted to chum.
We have an older (more than 100 yo) suburban house and finally got mini-splits (ductless wall units with an external condenser system). They are excellent and allow room-by-room adjustment. Intrusive ducts are not used, since those are a problem to add to old construction.
@andyw I have to agree the mini-splits are the way to go for efficiency and (fairly) easy retrofits into older houses. They have been popular in Asia for 30+ years, saw them everywhere when I was in Japan and Korea in 1999-2000. They seem to be catching on here finally. The main brands I’d recommend are Mitsubishi and LG, but you can find others, maybe cheaper, that might be fine.
I had one professionally installed this year for a semi-finished basement, along with a conventional ducted heat pump / AC for the ‘main’ floor. Amazed how well they both work.
@pmarin Ours are Lennox and work very well. I do believe that Mitsubishi is considered the best. BTW, we had ours done through Costco and a semi-local installer. We got a 10% Costco rebate card for it and sometimes they have offered 15% ! The company also did the paperwork for a NJ rebate that I didn’t know about, so we got that too.
@andyw@pmarin Heat pumps are OK in areas where you have relatively low humidity during the cold months. In this area, they are an absolute waste of money; in heating mode, the exterior coil ices up in minutes, and no additional heat is scavenged. Ditto for most of Florida.
@pmarin@werehatrack Yes, we were told the heating function in winter here in NJ would be pretty poor and as we were getting it for the cooling, that did not bother us. We find they provide a little heat if we turn them on before the steam radiators get warm, but we don’t use it for heat much given the expense.
@andyw@werehatrack Mine were installed in AVL, NC. (Mitsubishi split and a Trane XV19 variable-speed central) So about 2000ft elevation, not as humid as lower elevations. Most heating is needed during cold fairly dry air.
Looking at the technology of both units, especially the new Trane central, I’m amazed at the high-technology in the system. It’s very different from my friend next-door’s Bryant system which is a conventional one-speed on/off, heat/cool, big square unit. Yes the new ones still have to deal with defrost, but by running at variable speed I think they can minimize the need for the full-on / off / defrost cycles that created the problem you are talking about. So basically these aren’t the “heat pumps” of 20-30 years ago. But you have to specifically shop for it. I told the Trane guys (who had done another project for me before) what I wanted, and they said, “oh, maybe we can get that” and they said there were only 2 of the units in the Eastern US, and one was in Knoxville (over the hill) so they had it trucked over and everything went well. But if I didn’t ask I probably would have the older tech unit.
@andyw@pmarin Here in Texas, there was a hidden rebate program that some of the HVAC outfits were scamming the hell out of for a while; if they replaced a conventional AC unit with a heat pump, they could get a chunk of additional pocket change from a “modernization” program, and they didn’t have to discount the sale or tell the buyer that they got the added profit. Loads of folks ended up with heat pumps they didn’t need or want, and extra expense in the process. And that’s after we had a big scandal back in the '80s or '90s with the power company itself selling people heat pumps which proceeded to leave them shivering with popped pipes when the big freezes hit. There was even a big class-action suit. I have to marvel at the chutzpah of the asshats who are selling those POS systems.
@pmarin@werehatrack Sorry about the scams that were pulled. Ours, in NJ, was legit and sponsored by the utility. We were not upgrading or replacing (we had a few window units for A/C and we still have our steam heat) and Costco tends to be involved with responsible and legit providers since their reputation is on the line also.
An in-wall AC unit large enough to cool the open-concept living area, with an industrial-sized pedestal fan to distribute the cooled air. The other rooms stay closed off.
Central air (geothermal heat pump) plus lots of screened single-hung windows for cross ventilation before the AC kicks in, and motorized sun shades outside the two large SE-facing windows.
Not such a big issue most of the year in the PNW, but usually several weeks in the summer (like this one) have temps in the 90’s and low 100’s.
Shortly after I log into work, open enough windows to let in the morning air.
When the breeze coming in starts feeling about the same as the air in my office, close the windows.
When it starts feeling stuffy in my office (lots of electronics, west-facing), use a small Vornado fan to blow cooler air in from the hallway.
When it gets over 78F downstairs, the central AC will kick on. Upstairs is set to 82F during the day.
If the outside temp gets cooler than the inside temp before bed, open the windows again.
Overnight upstairs (bedroom) temp is 76F. Downstairs is higher, but the hot air rises anyway.
Because I’m in the PNW and the humidity is low, I can comfortably get away with leaving the windows open all day until the temp gets above 78F or so as long as there’s some air movement.
Leave town. Might hit 80° here in the mountains Wednesday. Then off to Montreal and Quebec City for a couple of weeks. Never been, but forecast is calling for mid 70’s during the day.
All blinds are down & curtains are closed! Central air on 66* and Ice cold beer. At night i add the ceiling fan cuz thats when this old woman sweats the most!
@cristysue Agree with you there except I don’t have the blinds closed because I like the view and I don’t have direct Sun onto the Windows at this time of year. Agree on the cold beer also, but remember to hydrate with water too – I’m a two-fisted drinker: one is beer or something, the other filtered water.
A/C and a fan because I need circulation and temp.
@yakkoTDI I am curious as to how this is related to toothbrushes though.
@yakkoTDI Someone deal with this guy who dares question the nonsequiturity of these questions.
[maybe it’s not a word, but I just typed it on the internet, so it is now…]
@yakkoTDI Fractal penguin interactions. It all boils down to fractal penguin interactions. It’s just not good gumbo without them.
Swamp cooler, perfect in this arid part of the world.
@Kyeh Yes, but.
It’s useless on the few humid days a year.
On the roof twice a year to drain & cover it, and start it up again. Replace the pads every couple of years (rock hard water).
Had central AC & a new furnace installed last year, plus a mini-split for the west facing office. I love it.
@blaineg True about the rare humid days - today is one of them here. I’m not complaining though - I’ll take all the rain we can get (yesterday was especially nice, we got rain twice!)
Without central AC, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico cities would not exist.
@hchavers Those cities predate refrigeration; people coped. But they would not be as large as they’ve become, I suspect. Particularly not Phoenix.
@hchavers @werehatrack I lived in Houston for half a year for work, (luckily not the Summer half). Sure, Houston had been there for a long time. But I learned that in the 1960s-70s the growth of population and big downtowns with skyscrapers was made possible with air conditioning and also helped by the big oil industry growth of the era. Same for Dallas. Other big Southern cities as well like Atlanta. But Houston in particular grew through a combination of air conditioning, oil and to some extent, the space program.
EDIT that was about 30 years ago I was there. Now I’m concerned about their anti-regulatory politics of « power companies can do what they want », « no Gub-mint regulationsl” and « dont want to be part of national grid ».
@hchavers @pmarin That Gridiocy is at the State level, and there’s loads of folks here in Houston who would like to see ERCOT hauled out into the Gulf and converted to chum.
Combination of central A/C, window units, ceiling fans, floor fans, depending on the room and time of day. Best way I can get cooling I can afford.
Ceiling fans. A/C died years ago. I pretty much used the A/C for the comfort of my cats, but since I’m catless now it doesn’t matter as much.
We have an older (more than 100 yo) suburban house and finally got mini-splits (ductless wall units with an external condenser system). They are excellent and allow room-by-room adjustment. Intrusive ducts are not used, since those are a problem to add to old construction.
@andyw I have to agree the mini-splits are the way to go for efficiency and (fairly) easy retrofits into older houses. They have been popular in Asia for 30+ years, saw them everywhere when I was in Japan and Korea in 1999-2000. They seem to be catching on here finally. The main brands I’d recommend are Mitsubishi and LG, but you can find others, maybe cheaper, that might be fine.
I had one professionally installed this year for a semi-finished basement, along with a conventional ducted heat pump / AC for the ‘main’ floor. Amazed how well they both work.
@pmarin Ours are Lennox and work very well. I do believe that Mitsubishi is considered the best. BTW, we had ours done through Costco and a semi-local installer. We got a 10% Costco rebate card for it and sometimes they have offered 15% ! The company also did the paperwork for a NJ rebate that I didn’t know about, so we got that too.
@andyw @pmarin Heat pumps are OK in areas where you have relatively low humidity during the cold months. In this area, they are an absolute waste of money; in heating mode, the exterior coil ices up in minutes, and no additional heat is scavenged. Ditto for most of Florida.
@pmarin @werehatrack Yes, we were told the heating function in winter here in NJ would be pretty poor and as we were getting it for the cooling, that did not bother us. We find they provide a little heat if we turn them on before the steam radiators get warm, but we don’t use it for heat much given the expense.
@andyw @werehatrack Mine were installed in AVL, NC. (Mitsubishi split and a Trane XV19 variable-speed central) So about 2000ft elevation, not as humid as lower elevations. Most heating is needed during cold fairly dry air.
Looking at the technology of both units, especially the new Trane central, I’m amazed at the high-technology in the system. It’s very different from my friend next-door’s Bryant system which is a conventional one-speed on/off, heat/cool, big square unit. Yes the new ones still have to deal with defrost, but by running at variable speed I think they can minimize the need for the full-on / off / defrost cycles that created the problem you are talking about. So basically these aren’t the “heat pumps” of 20-30 years ago. But you have to specifically shop for it. I told the Trane guys (who had done another project for me before) what I wanted, and they said, “oh, maybe we can get that” and they said there were only 2 of the units in the Eastern US, and one was in Knoxville (over the hill) so they had it trucked over and everything went well. But if I didn’t ask I probably would have the older tech unit.
@andyw @pmarin Here in Texas, there was a hidden rebate program that some of the HVAC outfits were scamming the hell out of for a while; if they replaced a conventional AC unit with a heat pump, they could get a chunk of additional pocket change from a “modernization” program, and they didn’t have to discount the sale or tell the buyer that they got the added profit. Loads of folks ended up with heat pumps they didn’t need or want, and extra expense in the process. And that’s after we had a big scandal back in the '80s or '90s with the power company itself selling people heat pumps which proceeded to leave them shivering with popped pipes when the big freezes hit. There was even a big class-action suit. I have to marvel at the chutzpah of the asshats who are selling those POS systems.
@pmarin @werehatrack Sorry about the scams that were pulled. Ours, in NJ, was legit and sponsored by the utility. We were not upgrading or replacing (we had a few window units for A/C and we still have our steam heat) and Costco tends to be involved with responsible and legit providers since their reputation is on the line also.
@andyw same here. got a 4 head fujitsu, helps out with heat in the winter too, only a couple small radiators upstairs. still cranked out heat at -10f!
I stand in front of the smoker in the heat of the day for a few hours. Then walk inside and pretty much need to put a sweater on.
Window AC in almost every room and a portable AC in our great room.
@zinimusprime Good thing about that is if something stops working, you have cooling working in some rooms.
@pmarin Yeah, definitely, and the great room actually has a window unit too because it’s so big. It’s time to consider mini-splits!
An in-wall AC unit large enough to cool the open-concept living area, with an industrial-sized pedestal fan to distribute the cooled air. The other rooms stay closed off.
Central air (geothermal heat pump) plus lots of screened single-hung windows for cross ventilation before the AC kicks in, and motorized sun shades outside the two large SE-facing windows.
Not such a big issue most of the year in the PNW, but usually several weeks in the summer (like this one) have temps in the 90’s and low 100’s.
@macromeh Single hung sure but are they well hung?
@yakkoTDI Yes, well hung is the standard in this household.
@macromeh @yakkoTDI Just use a pocket ruler and get it over with, OK?
@werehatrack @yakkoTDI
@macromeh @werehatrack That reminds me. You should go to the movies on August 7th.
https://tampatheatre.org/movie/blazing-saddles/
Because I’m in the PNW and the humidity is low, I can comfortably get away with leaving the windows open all day until the temp gets above 78F or so as long as there’s some air movement.
Leave town. Might hit 80° here in the mountains Wednesday. Then off to Montreal and Quebec City for a couple of weeks. Never been, but forecast is calling for mid 70’s during the day.
All blinds are down & curtains are closed! Central air on 66* and Ice cold beer. At night i add the ceiling fan cuz thats when this old woman sweats the most!
@cristysue Agree with you there except I don’t have the blinds closed because I like the view and I don’t have direct Sun onto the Windows at this time of year. Agree on the cold beer also, but remember to hydrate with water too – I’m a two-fisted drinker: one is beer or something, the other filtered water.
The best thing I ever did when I started remodeling the house is putting a ceiling fan in the kitchen.